


Hide & Seek

by halseys



Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 05:12:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17502239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halseys/pseuds/halseys
Summary: While James is away Harry finds something in James’ drawer, but it’s not exactly what he thinks it is.





	Hide & Seek

**Author's Note:**

> So, I’m dipping my toe in the pool of Hollyoaks. So excited for these two to get back together tomorrow :)

“Do you have to go?” Harry pouts, arms around James neck. They’d only just gotten back together and Harry wanted to spend every moment he could with James, but now the older man had to leave on business.

”I’m sorry. They’ve moved my client to Liverpool. I’ll be two days - three at most,” Harry groans, three days away from the man he loved was too many, “you’ll be fine, and besides Romeo has a key now so you won’t have to chase after any burglars.”

”I heard that,” Romeo walks up behind them, rolling his eyes as Harry leans up on his tiptoes for a goodbye kiss, “get a room.” 

Harry unlatches himself from James, a pout still on his face, “we would if he wasn’t leavin’.” James smirks. 

“I’ll call you,” he promises, kissing Harry’s cheek, “love you.”

”Love you too,” Harry smiles, watching James leave for the train station, already hoping he’ll return soon. It would be the first time he and Romeo would be left alone together since he moved in, and he wasn’t sure how it would go. 

”Just me and you then,” Romeo raises his eyebrows, “what are we having for dinner then, stepdaddy?” The younger boy cringes as soon as he says it, “let’s pretend I didn’t say that,” he scrunches up his nose.

”Agreed,” Harry laughs, following Romeo back inside. It was strange dating someone who’s son was only a couple of years younger than himself, but he didn’t mind. Harry even thought it helped sometimes, he could understand Romeo in ways James couldn’t anymore, “Chinese?” 

“Yeah,” Romeo makes himself comfortable on the sofa, “you paying?”

”Yes,” Harry rolls his eyes, pushing Romeo’s legs off the sofa so he could sit down too. They could watch a movie together. Yeah, Harry could definitely do this ‘father’ thing.

•

”Sweet and sour chicken,” Harry yanks off the lid from the takeaway box, but manages to get half of it down his shirt, “ah shit,” Romeo stifles a laugh, but can’t stop himself from finding it funny. Other people’s misfortune was kind of hilarious. 

“Not funny!” Harry protests, but he’s got a smile on his face, “I’ll change my shirt, you dish up,” Harry shakes his head and goes to the bedroom to find a new top. He opens up his drawer (that James had kindly cleared out for him), but shuts it, instead wanting to wear one of James’ shirts. He knows it’s ridiculous to miss him after a couple of hours, but the idea of wearing one of his shirts was kind of comforting.

He pulls out one near the bottom, a black one he remembers taking off James in a particularly heated moment. It makes Harry blush for a moment. As he pulls out the shirt, something drops out of it, and lands on the floor. 

Harry falters for a second. He looks down at the item - a little black box. Harry knows what’s usually inside one of those, but he can’t help himself, he has to check. He slides the shirt on before lifting up the box, and lifting the top off. Inside is a silver ring, it’s classic but gorgeous, it’s definitely a ‘ _James_ ’ kind of ring. 

“Harry,” Romeo shouts, “do you want veggie rice or egg fried rice?!” The slightly older man is stunned into silence, looming down at the silver item, “Harry?” Romeo comes to the door, “are you listening to me?” 

Harry glances up at Romeo, the younger boy instantly looking at what was in Harry’s hands.

”Is that what I think it is?”

”I dunno,” Harry’s mouth goes dry. He and James had only just gotten back together, so when did he buy this? Maybe before Christmas during their affair, or what if he brought it only over the last few days? Harry didn’t know if they were ready for this yet, of course they loved each other, but marriage was another step. He wasn’t even divorced from Ste yet.

”You should put it back.”

”But I, um-“

”No,” Romeo frowns, “if he’s going to propose, you know he would have made a huge plan. Don’t ruin it.”

”Has he said anything?”

”No,” he shakes his head, “maybe it’s not even an engagement ring, but you should forget you’ve seen it.”

”Okay,” Harry agrees, he slides the ring back where it was before, and closes the drawer. 

“Come on, foods getting cold.”

•

”You’ve been quiet,” Romeo comments over breakfast, “still thinking about what you found last night?”

”Yeah,” Harry bites his lip, “I can’t help it. I don’t know if we’re ready for that.”

”He’s loved you for three years,” Romeo tells him. Harry looks at him surprised, “he told me everything that happened between you - the good and the bad. He wanted you since he saw you in The Bean for the first time.” 

“Oh,” Harry raises his eyebrows, he hadn’t expected Romeo to know their whole story. He didn’t think James would be so honest, “would you be okay with it?”

”Sure,” Romeo shrugs, “James is my dad, I want him to be happy and he could do a lot worse than you.”

”Thanks,” Harry laughs sarcastically, “I love him, more than anything.”

”So you would say yes?”

”Yeah,” Harry smiles into his cereal, “I would.”

•

They’d practically jumped into bed the moment James got home. Harry had missed him so much, the heart definitely grew fonder. They had both been thankful Romeo had gone out to spend the evening with Lily.

“I,” _kiss_ , “love,” _kiss_ , “you,” _kiss._

”I should go away more often if this is what I get when I come home,” James quips, smiling as Harry rests on his chest, arm over his stomach, drawing circles on his side. It sent goosebumps over his skin. 

“I don’t like when you leave me.”

”I’ll never leave you. Not for long anyway.”

”Promise?” Harry bites his bottom lip, and he knows he sounds so needy but he needs the reassurance. The ring sitting in the drawer beside him wasn’t on his finger yet. James could still pull the rug from under his feet and change his mind.

”You’re mine, forever, Harry Thompson,” James runs his hand through Harry’s hair, and it makes the younger man smile. He wished James would ask now. It felt right. The two of them in their bed, alone and vulnerable together, the way they could always be.

”I like the sound of that.”

•

”What are you doing?” Harry almost laughs, the bedroom was a mess, everything pulled out and clothes all over the place. 

“I’m having what people call a ‘spring clean’, having my stuff, your stuff and Romeo’s in the flat is kind of a mess, so I’m getting rid of stuff.”

”Alright,” Harry leans on the doorway, “as long as it’s your stuff and not mine.”

”Of course,” James promises, “though there are a few things of yours I’d like to get rid of.”

”Not happening!” Harry laughs. He watches James fiddle through a few more things before he pulls _the box_ out of the drawer.

Did he not realise Harry was still stood there?

”Definitely getting rid of this,” James snaps the box open, looking at the offending piece of jewellery inside.

”W-Why?” Harry frowns, realising somehow he’d gotten everything all wrong. 

“It’s the ring I got John Paul.”

”Oh,” Harry doesn’t know what to say. He feels stupid for feeling hurt that James still had the ring, and stupid for thinking James would even be thinking of proposing to him already.

”I'll take it to the pawn shop tomorrow,” James instantly says, seeing the crestfallen look on Harry’s face and knowing he’s said the wrong thing, “I don’t think about him anymore, you know that right? You are all I want, you’ve always been the one I want.”

”Of course I know that. It’s fine, really,” Harry tries for a smile, but it’s weak, “I’m gonna go to the shop and get some stuff for tea - do you want anything?” 

“Oh, um, no thanks,” Harry nods and makes his escape. James curses himself, he should never have mentioned his ex.

•

“This is a lot of rubbish,” Romeo’s eyes go wide at the mess of the flat, surprised to see James sat on the sofa in the middle of it, a ring box in his hand, “you alright?”

”Yeah, just taking a break.”

”Where’s Harry?”

”At the shop - he’s been a while though,” James frowns.

”I don’t claim to know much about love, but I don’t think you should propose while the flat is this much of a mess,” Romeo laughs, moving around the big bags to take a seat next to James.

”This?” James holds up the box, “No, this is the ring I got John Paul.”

”Oh,” Romeo comes to a realisation why Harry might be taking a long time at the shop if he’d just found out James had no intention of asking him to marry him, “makes sense.”

”I told Harry I was getting rid of it, but he had a bit of a weird reaction and ran off,” James sighs, “I only want Harry, he knows that, so I don’t understand why he was so... strange.”

”Well,” Romeo sighs, deciding to be honest, “while you were in Liverpool, Harry was getting a shirt out of your drawer... and... he found the ring. I think that’s why he reacted like that, he thought-“

”That I was going to propose?”

”Yeah,” Romeo nods.

”Well,” James leans over the sofa, grabbing the bag he took with him to Liverpool. He opens it up and pulls out another box, this one was red velvet, “I got him a different one,” James opens it up for Romeo to admire. It was similar to the other - still silver, but the band was a little thicker and it was inscribed inside ‘ _forever_ ’.

”It’s perfect,” Romeo grins, “and now he won’t expect a thing.”

”You think he’ll say yes?”

”I have no doubt. I’m so happy for you, dad,” James freezes, it was the first time Romeo has called him dad, “I mean, um, sorry.”

”Don’t apologise. I like it,” James smiles at his son. He can’t believe his life has gotten to the point of pure happiness he’d always wished for. He had a son, one who loves and cares for him and he has Harry, the one man he’s always loved. 

They hear the door unlocking, and James shoves Harry’s ring back into his bag. He places the old one on the table to get rid of tomorrow. Father and son both turn to the door to see Harry, hands full of shopping bags.

”No-one gonna help me?” He scoffs, struggling with the bags. James instantly jumps into action, while Romeo just looks on at his two ‘dads’. It might be unconventional, but it was his family and he knew once Harry and James were married, they would be a proper family unit - one he always wanted. 


End file.
